Town hall. From left: Monroe County councilor Jennifer Crossley, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson, state senator Shelli Yoder, and Bloomington city councilmember Isak Asare. (April 27, 2024)
Dunn Meadow State police action April 27, 2024.
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In a video message released at 4:17 p.m. on Saturday, Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson took a position on the recent state and university police action on the Indiana University campus, which has seen the arrest of 55 protestors, including both faculty and students, on two separate days.
In Thomson’s message, which lasted about three minutes, she said, “I’m supportive of the protesters and their freedom to express themselves.”
She continued, “I’m not supportive of unauthorized encampments, nor of violence.” Thomson added: “I urge all involved to use the principles of non-violence and de-escalation and to be aware that these times are already charged for so many. ”
The demonstration, against the killing of civilians in Gaza by the Israeli army and in support of Palestine as a state, included some tents and pavilions set up on Dunn Meadow. It’s a spot with more than 50 years of tradition as a location for political protest.
Up until this past week, the right to use any “sign, symbol or structure” as part of a demonstration was ensconced in a university policy enacted in 1969.
In her video message, Thomson twice used the word “unauthorized” to describe the tents in Dunn Meadow that were the stated basis for police action on Thursday and again on Saturday. Continue reading “Bloomington mayor after state police remove Gaza protest tents on IU campus: ‘I’m not supportive of unauthorized encampments, nor of violence.’” →